Guwahati HC fixes March 21 for hearing on bandh PIL

The Guwahati High Court had admitted a PIL in December last seeking ban on any kind of bandhs in the state.

The Guwahati High Court on Friday fixed March 20 as the next date for hearing on the Public Interest Litigation seeking court interference in banning bandhs in Assam.

Chief Justice B Sudarshan Reddy and Justice BP Kotoky also directed the petitioners to put notice of the court in newspapers so that interested parties can respond to the PIL by the next date of hearing.

The Guwahati High Court had admitted a PIL in December last seeking complete ban on any kind of bandhs in the state and had issued notices to Assam government, central government, AGP, BJP, AASU and 14 other organisations.

Students organisations AASU and Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) along with the state and central governments responded to the notice on Friday and the court fixed March 20 as the next hearing.

The PIL filed by social activist Suchibrata Roychoudhury, journalist M Talukdar and retired police officer Ataur Rahman, had pleaded that constant bandhs in Assam had crippled the economy of the state and all bandhs should be declared illegal and unconstitutional as per the Supreme Court order.

The PIL had pointed out that bandhs violated Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution.